Bobby pin with finger gripping means



y 2, 1957 F. 1.. WESTBURG ET AL 3,316,921

BOBBY PIN WITH FINGER GRIPPING MEANS Filed Nov. 4, 1964 INVENTORSFlorence L.Wes1tburg a Ruth Rosefsky BY iti'fi m M, W a E mg ATTOR EYSUnited States Patent 3,316,921 BOBBY PIN WITH FINGER GRIPPING MEANSFlorence L. Westburg, 514 Mulberry St., Hollidaysburg, Pa. 16648, andRuth Rosefsky, 1116 Liberty St., Morris, Ill. 60450 Filed Nov. 4, 1964,Ser. No. 408,925 2 Claims. (Cl. 132-50) The present invention relates tobobby pin, and has for an object an addition to the conventional bobbypin at the loop portion thereof providing a finger piece which makes itmuch easier to extract the pin from the hair, involving a fasteroperation for the beauty operator with no broken fingernails.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a standard bobby pin anattachment of either metallic or plastic, or a combination of both,whereby two fingers or a finger and a thumb may be engaged with oppositesides of the pin at the head thereof and which will afford good purchasefor withdrawing the pin from the hair without requiring the fingers orfinger and thumb combination to close upon the thin side edges of thepin loop, a circumstance which causes beauty shop operators to incurcuts and bruises and lacerated fingers and thumbs.

Preferably the device of the invention comprises a metallic cross barfitted crosswise of the loop and attached thereto by any suitable means,for instance, by encasement at least as to its intermediate part in abody or deposit of a plastic material of a thermoplastic nature 'havingexternally smooth characteristics.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be morefully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed outin the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a conventional form of bobby pinequipped with an attachment of the invention showing one form thereof.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the same.

FIGURE 3 is an edge elevation of the same.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4--4in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a similar view taken on the line 55 in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view through the loop portion of thepin in which the attachment of the invention is in sole form of aplastic deposit.

FIGURE 7 is a section taken on the line 7-7 in FIGURE 6.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in FIG URES l, 2 and 3 ahobby pin of a conventional form is illustrated having complementalclamp members 10 and 11, the latter of which is ordinarily corrugated asshown and provided at its free end with a short diagonal terminal 12which forms with the terminal of the companion clamp member a wide mouthadaptable for convenience in receiving therein a lock of hair.

The loop 13 which joins the two clamp members 10 and 11 is, according tothe invention, in that form shown in FIGURES 1 to 5 thereof providedwith a cross bar 14 which may be aflixed to the loop -13 as by welding,brazing or the like, with opposite end portions of the cross barextending substantially beyond the side edges of the loop 13 to adistance adequate to provide finger holds at opposite sides of the loopfrom an edgewise aspect.

3,316,921 Patented May 2, 1967 Preferably, although not necessarily,this cross bar 14 including the loop 13 is encased in a body or deposit15 of a suitable plastic or resin which will add to the thickness of thebar and present a smoother surface to the fingers and thumb of theoperator. This plastic body 15 may completely encase the cross bar 14 orit may only partially do so.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the. encased cross bar produces finger holds 16and 17 which project out from the edgewise portion of the loop to givegood finger and thumb contact. The body 15 also preferably extends inknobs 18 and 19, which knobs follow the curvature of the loop, as shownin FIGURES 3 and 4, building up the cross-section of the loop intosubstantial finger pieces. These knobs 18 and 19 extend at substantiallyright angles to the direction of projection of the finger holds 16 and17.

According to the form of invention shown in FIG- URES 6 and 7, anymetallic bar such as 14 is dispensed with and a body of plastic 15 ismade to serve the purpose of the projections and knobs, the projectionsbeing indicated at 16 and 17 in FIGURE 7, and the knobs at 18 and 19 inFIGURE 6.

In the use of the device the pin is applied in the usual manner byspreading the clamp members and pushing the same onto a lock of hair.Later, after the hair has dried, the pin may be simply and quicklyremoved by engaging the fingers or thumb and a finger with the headpiecewhich is formed by the plastic body or deposit 15, the projections 16and 17 and the knobs 18 and 19. For instance, the index and secondfinger may be placed at opposite sides of the projections and the bobbypin readily withdrawn. In addition the thumb might engage the saddle ofthe plastic body, which saddle is at the highest point of the loop 13and extends appreciably to both sides thereof.

According to the modification shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, the plastic bodyis made to serve both purposes, dispensing with the metallic cross bar14, in which event the plastic body is molded about the loop and extendsfor a distance down into the clamp members where the lower portions ofthe plastic body may be made bulbous, as indicated in FIGURE 3, toprovide for the engagement of the fingers therebeneath and to offer alsosmooth contact by the fingers in all parts of the plastic body.

The plastic body presents an extremely smooth external surface to thefingers of the operator and the addition to the hobby pin according tothe invention acts to thicken the pin in the region of the looppresenting oppositely extending projections 16 and 17 and oppositelyprojecting knobs 18 and 19 in intersecting planes which add to theattractiveness of the pin as well as have the utilitarian purposesdescribed.

Although we have disclosed herein the best forms of the invention knownto us at this time, we reserve the right to all such modifications andchanges as may come within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A bobby pin comprising (a) complemental clamp members,

(b) a loop connecting the members at one end, and

(c) a rigid cross bar aflixed only to the inner face of the loop andhaving parts extending a substantial distance to both sides thereof toprovide finger pieces.

2. A bobby pin as claimed in claim 1 in which a plastic depositencompasses the cross bar and extends laterally beyond the loop atsubstantially right angles to the axis of the cross bar to provide knobswhich cooperate with he finger pieces to form handholds to aid in there- 2,737,188 3/1956 Jackson 132-50.2 noval of the hobby pin from thehair of the head of 3,038,479 6/1962 COlli 13250 the FOREIGN PATENTSReferences Cited by the Examiner 5 8,169 1 4 Great Britain UNITED STATESPATENTS 122,647 10/1927 Switzerland.

1,494,280 5/1924 Odom 132-52 1,855,811 4/1932 Weissenbom 132 5O'2RICHARD A. GAUDET, Przmary Exammer.

2,650,596 9/1953 Portaro 132-50 R. L. FRINKS, Assistant Examiner.

1. A BOBBY PIN COMPRISING (A) COMPLEMENTAL CLAMP MEMBERS, (B) A LOOPCONNECTING THE MEMBERS AT ONE END, AND (C) A RIGID CROSS BAR AFFIXEDONLY TO THE INNER FACE OF THE LOOP AND HAVING PARTS EXTENDING ASUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE TO BOTH SIDES THEREOF TO PROVIDE FINGER PIECES.